Emergency Response
What to do in the first minutes after a hazmat incident.
Endorsement: Hazardous Materials (H) · Source: FMCSA CDL Manual (public domain)
Hazmat emergency response begins with the driver\'s actions in the first minutes after an incident. The CDL Manual lays out a standard sequence: park the vehicle in the safest location available given the hazard, secure the area, attend to the injured if you can do so safely, notify emergency services, and stay on scene until authorities release you. Use the orange Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) carried in the cab to look up the UN/NA identification number from the shipping papers and find the corresponding response guide.
The ERG\'s response guides include initial isolation distances (how far to keep people from the leak immediately), protective action distances (the larger downwind area to evacuate or shelter), and special precautions (water reactivity, vapor-cloud risk, toxicity). For example, a chlorine release (UN1017) calls for a much larger downwind protective action than a gasoline spill, even though both are common. Drivers are not expected to memorize the ERG entries, but they must know how to look up the right guide quickly using the shipping paper UN number or the placard.
Reporting requirements are strict. Any hazmat incident that involves a death, hospitalization, more than $50,000 in damage, evacuation of the public, closure of a transportation facility for more than an hour, fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected radioactive contamination must be reported by the driver or carrier to the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) as soon as practical. Written follow-up reports are also required within specified timeframes. The exam tests the National Response Center number, the 24-hour reporting standard, and the categories of incidents that trigger immediate reporting. Drivers should also know that they must never assume a release is too small to report; when in doubt, report.
Key terms to memorize
- placard
- shipping paper
- Emergency Response Guidebook
- hazard class
- segregation table
- Safety Data Sheet
- TSA threat assessment
Other Hazardous Materials (H) topics
- Hazard Classes — The nine federal hazard classes and what each one looks like in the field.
- Placarding Rules — When you must placard, what the placards mean, and where they go.
- Shipping Papers — What every hazmat shipping paper must contain and where it must live in the cab.
- Segregation and Loading — Which hazardous materials cannot be loaded together, and how to comply.
Test what you learned
Now that you have the Emergency Response material in your head, drill the Hazardous Materials (H) practice test. The questions are drawn from the same FMCSA source material this article paraphrases. For state-specific framing, jump to your state page and pick the Hazardous Materials (H) test for your jurisdiction.